•by Sean Fennell•We give ourselves over to the influence of the breathing Earth. Sleep, the shadow of the Earth, seeps into our skin, spreading throughout our limbs, dissolving our individual will into the thousand and one selves that compose it—cells, tissues and organs taking their prime directives from gravity and the wind, as residual bits of sunlight caught in the long tangle of nerves, wanders through the drifting landscape of our Earth-borne bodies, like deer moving across the forested valleys.
Where Spirit, nature and humans meet in oneness—in activity, as well as non-activity—I find my center. Permaculture is not just about growing gardens; it’s about growing infinite possibilities. It’s the marriage of the spiritual with the natural and social, and therefore, one of the highest expressions of co-creating with Spirit.
Everything belongs to Spirit; it’s designed, created, operated and maintained by Spirit. We humans are merely caretakers of this divine creation. As such, we are obligated to share all Spirit’s gifts fairly with others.
The basic principles of permaculture are Earth Care, People Care, and Fair Share. It’s at the intersection where these three practices converge that infinite possibilities exist. In meditation we strive to commune with Spirit inwardly; in permaculture we strive to connect with Spirit outwardly.
Acknowledging this fact, I’m faced with the questions: “What does permaculture look like at Sunburst?” and “What infinite possibilities can I co-create with Spirit moving forward—not only for the immediate future, but for generations to come?
We sleep, allowing gravity to hold us, allowing Earth, our larger body, to recalibrate our neurons, composting the keen encounters of our waking hours (the tensions, joys and terrors of our individual days), stirring them back as dreams into the sleeping substance of our muscles.
As we move forward, the future of Sunburst looks brighter than ever, for what can be greater than honoring our Divine Mother and Father, by loving and caretaking Mother Earth and all her creatures, utilizing her natural resources with utmost respect and care, loving others as we do ourselves, sharing the fruits of our labor and our God-given talents with passion and commitment?
In the vast, endless sea of eternity, My body, mind and spirit with Thee,
In truth I strive to be the best I can be, Better than none, but simply all I can be. In silence amidst the inner worlds I dance, Feeling Thy presence. Oh the Divine Romance! How can I contain this gift from Thee, How can I let it flow unceasingly? Awakening gladly to the Sun-kissed day, Knowing love cannot be held, simply shared, Given to Nature and to all brothers, sisters dear. This gift, my offering, I humbly bear.
by Norman Paulsen•Long ago in a vision, the “face” of God appeared to me as a great light, brighter than the physical sun. It identified itself to me as I Am That I Am, and conveyed the truth that the Divine is dual in nature. “I Am masculine; I Am feminine; I Am Thatness from which the two came forth.” Two equal forces neither stronger than the other, are active within the creation we observe around us every day.
“I Am That I Am” is one of the greatest mantras. When we identify with that life force and repeat those words with devotion and concentration, we will get an immediate response. We will experience that force, that life which is around and within us, keeping the atomic structure of our bodies functioning every microsecond of time.
We didn’t create ourselves, and don’t even run the inner mechanisms of our bodies. Who is doing all of this for us? There is a divine Being here in us right now that we can meet and know, who would walk fully conscious with us in these bodies it created!
There was once a devotee who was calling and calling on God, going every day to put flowers on the altar, meditating, praying, doing asanas—every practice he could think of. One day when he went to the altar, he was suddenly struck with illumination, and put the flowers on his own head! So it is when we start awakening into the Cosmic conscious mind that we begin to realize this body is a divine creation, spun together by dual divine forces.
Why does this creation exist? Why are all of us here? I Am That I Am says: “I created all of these beings so that I can become fully conscious in each one. I walk in the masculine and the feminine. I enjoy the experience of being human. I bathe in the waters. I gaze at the universe, and breathe the fresh air.”
To become fully conscious God-realized beings is what Spirit wants for all of us. Once you experience God-consciousness, it will never leave you. You may go astray, but it will never leave you. It’s like having a gentle hand on your head, always drawing you back to it.
Having this experience doesn’t mean you’re infallible, or that you don’t make mistakes. You’re like a child with a new sense added to the five outer senses. Call it the Cosmic sense, the Christ sense. It’s the sense that knows you are one with the whole cosmos, and it’s one with with us. The divine Being is you, and you are the divine Being, along with everyone else! Your awareness expands into everyone and everything you see. You realize that God is the only reality. Hold fast to that divine Being you know!
•by Dawn King•Sometimes we find ourselves swept up in the frantic pace of today’s demands. It can throw us off center, make us feel out of sorts or overwhelmed. Each moment we have the opportunity to bring our consciousness back to the calm center of simplicity within. Just take a conscious breath.
Like a deep-sea diver, breath is our life line to existence here in a physical body. Without breath we lose our connection not only to here and now on planet Earth, but to our own spirit as it’s functioning here. Spirit will go on after the body loses breath, but in life we regain our spiritual connection and strength each time we take a conscious meditative breath. Yoga teaches us a lot about breath.
In our daily practice, we can combine frequent conscious breaths with consciously calming and centering ourselves—remembering we are spirit inhabiting this body for only a short time in eternity. This is exactly what we do in meditation, which can lead us to life-changing revelations, feelings of complete love and joy, states of ecstasy.
When I take a conscious breath during a busy day, I recall the peace, or the joy, or some other tremendously comforting experience from a meditation. It could be from an experience I had many years ago. These experiences are precious gems that can develop like illuminating crystals within us if we continue to honor and recall them.
Brother Lawrence wrote: One way of easily recalling the mind is not to let it wander during the day. I keep myself in God’s presence by simple attentiveness and a loving gaze upon God which I call the actual presence of God. Or to put it more clearly, an habitual silent and secret conversation with God. The more we keep our minds on God during the day, the easier it will be to do so during meditation.
Your own spirit wants to lead your life, to give you all the wonderful insights and experiences that would inspire you to find joy in each day. You only need to take a breath with complete desire and openness to experience the unconditional love your spirit truly knows as its own.
•by Michele Pike•Everyone we meet is defined by so much more than the role they play in their family, at work, or in their community. Nobody is just a mom, dad, sibling or friend. We are all children of God, divine aspects of Spirit. We each bring a unique and important expression of I AM to this world, one that is to be appreciated.
Most of us could use a reminder now and then that everyone we meet is Spirit. We can be grateful for each beautiful and singular soul. We can thank Spirit for all the many faces that recall the One, our universal Mother and Father.
In our reflections of gratitude, let us not forget ourselves. Remember to be accepting and loving to the irreplaceable aspect of God that you embody. No one else can bring to the world the particular combination of gifts that you do. Be thankful of your own divinity. Express it, for in expression it is given substance, fulfillment.
Beloved Spirit, I am so grateful for all my brothers and sisters. I appreciate and honor each one as a magnificent realization of you. Let me express the love I feel for them by always remembering their inherent divinity. Amen.
“Only in embracing all, can we become the arms of God.” – The Illuminated Prayer
•by Dawn King with Paramahansa Yogananda•Unknown to most is the fact that you and I are one with that power and intelligence that has created the whole Universe, the very Life that makes our hearts beat. We have free will to hold our consciousness on an elevated plane of spiritual awareness, or to let it slip into distraction and be entertained by the endless stream of images we attract to ourselves. Yes, we have a choice to live joyous and free in our identification with Spirit, or be bound to the circumstances we create by our attachment to worldly images.
Paramahansa Yogananda is quoted as saying “You have no enemy greater than yourself, and no greater friend. God has given you free choice to keep yourself in delusion or to extricate yourself from it. It is your own dreams that are frightening you.”
If possible, remember not only during meditation but with every breath you take, that you are one with the infinite Spirit, your Creator who loves you. Your existence is vital to the manifestation of this Spirit on planet Earth. You are the hands and physical representative of this Intelligence. Each of us is a vital part of the whole, remembering, generating, and upholding the unconditional Love that is Life.
Keep your emotions, mind, and body filled with positivity for the greatest good of all. Be a smile millionaire, giving freely of compassion, hope, and unconditional love. Divine Spirit will come and remain with you, enlightening your intuition and wisdom. You will then remember your perfect oneness with the Creator. You will remember that you have come from Spirit into this flesh, into this little cage of bones, which only seems like a sort ofprison.
Get away from mortal consciousness and consciousness of the world. There is no end to your consciousness; all things are glittering like stars in the firmament of your being. Suddenly you will find that your memory has subtly become intuition, the infallible insight of the soul. You no longer have to make the effort to remember anything, because memory has metamorphosed into all-knowing omnipresent intuition. In that omniscient light of divine recollection, you shall not only remember, you shall realize that you are the Infinite Spirit existing as a unique soul.
Each precious unique soul is responsible for the current frequency of planet Earth. We are dialing in what happens here, and what happens in our personal lives. Each of us has a purpose and a job to lift earthly humanity and this planet into its next state—one of greater consciousness, harmony, peace, and love. Simply by holding your own consciousness in this state, you are uplifting the planet, a work so needed and so important at this time of planetary growth. We each must awaken to the greater reality!
“Build your joys on the sure foundation of inner harmony. Cherish no thought that does not harmonize with the love and lawful ideals of the Creator. Thus, will your whole life be flooded with the light and bliss of the divine harmony.”– Paramahansa Yogananda.
The Bhagavad Gita emphasizes the following qualities of the pure Self, the individual life essence and soul of each of us:
Your pure Self is unborn, though born in a body. It is eternal, though its bodily dwelling is impermanent. It is changeless, though it may experience change. It is ever the same, though in the long pathway of reincarnation which ultimately leads to perfect union with God, the soul appears in countless forms. The soul is not slain when the body dies; and even when the soul returns to Spirit, it does not lose its identity, but will exist throughout eternity.
by Dawn King•The most important part of being human is learning to love, and letting unconditional love be the driving intention of our lives. Why is this? It’s because the driving intention of the Universe is Love. The more we can emulate this Source of all that exists, the closer we are to being one with that Source. Why do we want to be one with that Source? Because it is the greatest advancement we can make as humans, and produces our greatest joy and fulfillment.
Humans are born with the ability to develop the ego to illumination. What does that mean? The ego is a tool we have that can help us. However it’s highest state is its recognition of the Source of all, and its identification with this Source while surrendering to the wellspring of unconditional love.
How can I learn to love to this ultimate point? And why isn’t it an automatic part of life? To answer the second question: We are born into this life with a challenge—“See what you can do with this set of circumstances, and with this personality.” Each of us is given the task of bringing our own personal journey to its greatest achievement. There are conscious steps we can take each day in order to fulfill our “love and life mission.”
1.Set your intention on growing to feel and extend to others more unconditional love. Just as the Sun shines on all unconditionally each day, we can love without discrimination or judgement. Each soul is valued equally in the heart and view of Source.
2.Respect all living things; respect everything you encounter during your day; respect the Earth which is sustaining us all.
3.Put on the attitude of being helpful and giving. Even offering a smile is an act of giving, and one that can make the day of a total stranger. “It’s not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving.” – Mother Theresa
4.Share yourself; your time, efforts, and caring without consideration of what you will get out of it. Be there for another, for your community, and take time to appreciate the many blessings filling your life.
5.Forgive! As you open yourself to unconditional love, revelations will come to you giving you understanding of other’s motives and compassion for them.
6.Ask Source to open your heart and mind to experience love; this can be done during sincere prayer or as the focus of meditation. Our prayers never go unanswered. An old adage from India says “Delay is not denial.”
7.Know that you are never alone. Love surrounds you and is ever offering guidance to you. The more we embrace and accept this ever present offering of love from Source, the more we become aware of it. It protects us and leads us, if we let it. Follow the instructions of Intuition!
8.“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” – Mahatma Gandhi This lifetime is for our spirit’s education and healing. We are not guaranteed any more time than is absolutely necessary. Make the most of every day.
9.Make positive choices to the best of your ability. We are given choices to help us grow. Know that you will be quickly shown if your choice was not a correct one, and you will have the ability to change direction. Be humble, but love boldly. “For magic to happen in your life, you must believe in magic” – Lynn Andrews
